Kesho UK Enhancing educational opportunities for Kenyan schoolchildren Trustees Annual Report and Financial Return for 2017 1st January 2017 to 31 December 2017 Submitted to the UK Charities Commission on 1 October 2018 Table of Contents Section A: Reference and Administration details... 1 Section B: Structure, governance and management... 1 Section C: A message from the Chair... 2 Section D: Objectives and activities... 3 Section E: Achievements and performance... 3 Section F: Financial Review... 4 Section G: Declaration... 5 Section A: Reference and Administration details Charity Name : Kesho UK The registered address is: Registered Charity with the UK Charity Commission on 19th January 2012 Registered Charity Number: 1145531 Charity s Principal Address: Phoenix Cottage, Blacksmiths Lane, South Littleton, WR11 8TW Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity Pauline Lowe: Chair 19 January 2012 to 31 December 2016 Kate Nokes: Trustee July 2015 to 31 December 2016 Chair 1 January 2017 Sally Bagenal Trustee Geoff Powell Treasurer Angela Cary-Brown Trustee All Trustees are voluntary and receive no payment for their contribution. Section B: Structure, governance and management Kesho UK is governed by a Trust Deed and is constituted as a Trust. We currently have 5 Trustees who are selected and inducted according to the rules stated in our Trust Deed. Kesho UK trustees are all volunteers, providing strong governance whilst holding non-executive roles. All have a personal connection with Kilifi, Kenya having lived, worked and or visited the area over many years. They also bring various specific areas of expertise to the organisation including IT plus financial and business management in the academic, business and charitable sectors. Kesho UK registered charity number 1145531 E: keshouk@gmail.com www.keshouk.org 1
Each year we review our governing policies. This year we decided to prioritise the updating of our MOU with Kesho Kenya and develop a standardised financial and written reporting template. This action would improve our policies, provide clarity on the expectations of both Kesho UK and Kesho Kenya and help to minimise our financial risk. Kesho UK supports educational activities in Kenya through receipt of donations mostly from individuals and also occasionally from other donors or grants. We arrange the award of funds to educational charities in Kilifi County, Kenya. Currently our main recipient of donations is the educational charity, Kesho Kenya of which our current chair was the Co-Founder in 2004. Kesho UK disperse funds periodically to Kesho Kenya. Kesho Kenya also receive funds directly in Kenya. Kesho UK has financial oversight of Kesho Kenya by receiving bi-monthly financial reports and monthly transaction reports indicating total income and expenditure. We have found the accounting by Kesho Kenya to be accurate and transparent. Kesho UK also offer financial and managerial support through regular visits to Kesho Kenya by three of our Trustees. Kesho UK has confidence in Kesho Kenya s ability to spend these funds according to the needs of the community and have an MOU in place to protect both parties. Section C: A message from the Chair It has been a pleasure to take on the Chair of Kesho UK in 2017 from Pauline Lowe, one of the founding Trustees. Kesho UK was established in January 2012 with the aim of improving the lives of children living in Kilifi, on the coast of Kenya, through education. It does this by raising funds and providing financial support and administrative/ managerial advice as appropriate to charitable organisations with an education focus and working within in the coastal region of Kenya called Kilifi. Pauline has been a terrific Chair over the years and worked incredibly hard to bring Kesho UK to where it is today. Kesho UK has a unique group of Trustees who believe passionately in its charitable aims, as we have all either lived, worked or visit the area many times and over many years. This close relationship with the coast of Kenya and the work of organisations working on the ground in the region means we are well placed to provide support to organisations which are having a visible and positive impact. One of the principal recipients of funds in 2017 as in previous years is Kesho Kenya of which I was a cofounder back in 2004 and executive director until 2015. We also provide smaller ad hoc awards to organisations in the designated area of Kilifi, for example last year we supported the Rotary Club of Kilifi provide emergency famine relief and we have also supported Moving the Goal Posts (MTG) which empowers and educates girls in the region through football. As a result of these awards to organisations working at the front line in Kilifi, over 600 children have been directly supported through school and several thousand more children and families have benefited from including for example child protection, literacy support and income generation activities. Kesho Kenya has a particularly impressive track record in that it continues to support children right through to university if needed and, like MTG it takes a holistic approach which works. Whole families are now supported and not just individual children within them which in turn impacts on the whole community. While we provide support to organisations none is dependent solely on the resources of Kesho UK; all receive funds from other donors and funding bodies to support their administration, development and outreach programmes. Kesho UK would like to thank all those who have supported it since being established, and we look forward to continuing support for the good work that Kesho Kenya and other organisations in Kilifi are doing to support communities through education. Kate Nokes, Kesho UK Chair Kesho UK registered charity number 1145531 E: keshouk@gmail.com www.keshouk.org 2
Section D: Objectives and activities The objectives of Kesho UK were developed having had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. These are as follows: 1. To advance education among children and young people in Kilifi, Kenya. In particular but not exclusively, through the provision of grants to Kesho Kenya and other charities or organisations to advance education in Kenya and by such other means as the Trustees determine. 2. To promote the efficiency and effectiveness of charities, not for profit and voluntary organisations working to advance education in Kenya for the benefit of the public by provision of management advice and practical support. 3. For the purpose of this clause charities are organisations which are established exclusively for charitable purposes in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The main activities undertaken by Kesho UK in 2017 for the public benefit were in relation to these objects: Collected funds from individual donors, Rotary clubs, schools and fundraising events. Claimed gift aid on those donations Awarded grants to Kesho Kenya and the Rotary Club of Kilifi to support education and famine relief in the area of Kilifi District, Kenya. We attended 2 trustee meetings in the UK. Three Trustees visited the Kesho Kenya Organisation to: o Offer financial support o Validate the impact on the community of the funds received from Kesho UK. o Clarify Kesho UK s revised requirements for communication, reporting and financial reporting. Two Trustees visited Kilifi and provided voluntary support to assist the Rotary Club of Kilifi with their coordinated famine relief effort. Kesho UK has an MOU with Kesho Kenya giving guidelines on grant making, accountability and reporting schedules. Kesho UK does not have any official volunteers although we do acknowledge the incredible voluntary efforts of our sponsors who occasionally visit us, who provide teacher training in literacy and who undertake fundraising events to raise additional funds. Section E: Achievements and performance Kesho UK s main achievements in 2017 were as follows: 1. We increased our income by nearly 3,000 to a total of to 52,000 due to grant awards. 2. Fundraising initiatives in 2017 included a donation of 531.14 from James, Stan and Wilf Nokes who ran the Bath Half marathon in April 2017. Dr Jane Crawley one of our long term donors was married in September 2017 and asked her guests to donate to Kesho in lieu of wedding gifts. 3,747 was raised for Kesho UK. 3. We donated a total of 52,000 of funds towards educational support activities in Kenya. 4. We introduced a financial reporting template for our main recipient of funds, Kesho Kenya, to improve accountability. This was put in place following a meeting with the Kesho UK Chair and the ED and Accountant of Kesho Kenya in August. 5. We agreed to review and update our MOU with Kesho Kenya during 2018. 6. The Trustees helped distribute food to the community as part of the coordinated Rotary Famine Relief programme. 7. We agreed to do a survey among our individual sponsors to find out about their levels of satisfaction with our communication and areas for improvement. Most of our funds were donated to Kesho Kenya whose charitable purposes for the public benefit are to Improve educational and employment opportunities for vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Kilifi County in Kenya. The children Kesho Kenya supports are among the most vulnerable members of the community. Kesho UK registered charity number 1145531 E: keshouk@gmail.com www.keshouk.org 3
The Millennium Goals in Kenya identified Kilifi for future investment and development; Kesho Kenya is preparing these young and professional leaders of the future to take up the exciting opportunities on the horizon and make a positive change to their region. In 2017, Kesho Kenya continued supporting 323 children (317 in 2017) on their academic journey from nursery through to university (See table). Financial support Is the gateway through which students, once with Kesho are offered a holistic programme of support tailored to their needs including child protection, leadership opportunities, reproductive health advice and literacy support. Educational level Nursery Primary Secondary College University Number supported 4 123 99 29 68 With help from the schools and local community leaders last year, Kesho expanded their literacy and health education programmes and also implemented a child safeguarding project in nine schools in the county. Food security was an acute and important issue in 2016 and early 2017 due to a prolonged drought in Kilifi County. Kesho UK responded to this by donating funds for a coordinated famine relief effort. Funds were collected by Kesho UK in 2016 and presented to the Rotary Club of Kilifi by two of our Trustees in January 2017. They also joined the Rotary Club when they distributed the food aid to the Ganze area. All the funds were spent on food. The Red Cross donated transport and volunteers and Rotarians volunteered their time. Section F: Financial Review Principal Funding Sources Kesho UK funds are mainly derived from individuals who make a long-term commitment to education in the Kilifi and Ganze area of Kenya by setting up monthly direct debits. Funds for sponsorships account for 48% of our total income, all these funds are used exclusively for support of individual students. Grants awarded in 2017 from SPEK, Okehampton Rotary Club, Berkley Foundation. This amounted to 44% of funds raised and were used for student financing through the education fund and enrichment. Kesho UK Income & Expenditure statement KESHO UK financial period 1.1.17 to 31.12.17 and comparative figures for 1.1.16 to 31.12.16 Sponsor Income Beneficiary Expenditure Individual donations 25,008.28 26,611 Grant making bodies 22,971.32 16,129 Fund raising activities 531.14 1,170 Famine relief 300.00 3,196 HMRC 2,863.75 1,304 2017 2016 2017 2016 Audit fees 50.00 50.00 Bank charges 69.00 69.00 Kesho Kenya 51,000.00 38,749.00 Rotary Club of Kilifi 300.00 3,196.00 Total 51,674.49 48,411.00 51,419.00 42,064.00 Kesho UK registered charity number 1145531 E: keshouk@gmail.com www.keshouk.org 4
Kesho UK statement of balances Kesho UK statement of balances 1.1.17 to 31.12.17 2017 2016 Opening balance 6,347.99 2,686.24 Income 51,674.49 48,411.49 Expenditure 51,419 42,063.50 Closing balance 6,603.48 6,347.99 Kesho UK awarded a total of 51,000 to Kesho Kenya Organisation which was used to provide financial support to assist children to attend school, college or university. Kesho UK also awarded the Rotary Club of Kilifi 300.00 to assist in their famine relief efforts. Kesho UK trustees offer their services on a voluntary basis and do not take a salary or expenses for their management of Kesho UK charity. Kesho UK has no formal policy on reserves but we have the aim of broadly balancing income and expenditure in each financial year. Any increase or decrease in balances held between the start and end of any year will therefore typically by a function of timing differences between receiving income and awarding grants. Section G: Declaration The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees report above. Signed on behalf of the charity s trustees Signature(s) Full name(s) Kate Nokes Pauline Lowe Position Chair Treasurer Date 22/09/2018 Kesho UK registered charity number 1145531 E: keshouk@gmail.com www.keshouk.org 5